Food for thought: Infographic reveals what the world consumes - with China being the biggest meat eaters and Germany drinking the most alcohol

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It may not come as a surprise that people in Somalia eat less than Europeans and Americans.

But an infographic detailing the precise qualities of meals consumed by citizens of different countries provides some serious food for thought.

The interactive pie chart shows that Germans drink the most alcohol, while Americans consume the most sugary and fatty food and Indians are most likely to be vegetarian. 

Scroll down for interactive module 

Food for thought: The infographic details the precise qualities of food consumed by people in different countries, and what they choose to eat. This pie chart shows what the average person eats - irrelevant of which country they live in

It was created by data experts at National Geographic, as part of its Future of Food series, using data from FAOSTAT.

The interactive chart reveals how diets vary around the world and how they have evolved over the last 50 years, as well as showing quantities of food consumed per person in each place, in calories and grams.

It also details the proportion of food items such as meat and grains in each overall diet, including produce, which means starchy roots, vegetables and fruit and ‘other’ food, which includes alcohol.

In terms of which country eats the most calories per day, the US comes out top in the nations documented in the graph.

Famine and feast: Americans eat the most calories daily (left) from the nations documented in the graph, at 3,61 daily calories, while Somalis consume the least - eating just 1,695 calories a day. Milk products make up more than half of their food intake

Greedy: Britons over-eat, according to the chart, consuming an average of 3,413 calories, which is more than the recommended calorie intake for a man - of 2,500 calories. This figure is fuelling fears that an obesity epidemic will negatively impact the NHS

The average American eats 3,641 calories per day, which is significantly higher than the 2,500 calories that are recommended for the average healthy man to maintain his weight.

People in the US consume more than two-and-a-half as many grams of vegetable oil per day than they did 50 years ago - accounting for more than half of the 26 per cent increase in calorie consumption. This is because the US is the world's top oilseed producer. They also eat a diet rich in sugar and fats.

In contrast, Somalis eat just 1,695 calories per day – the lowest calorific consumption of any other population. Milk products make up more than half of their daily food intake.

Britons also over-eat, according to the chart, consuming an average of 3,413 calories, fuelling fears that an obesity epidemic will trigger a crisis within NHS. 

Hungry for more: The average person consumes 130 grams of sugar and fat a day, making up 20 per cent of their daily food intake, based on 2011 figures. This percentage has risen by four per cent over 50 years. A stock image of a lollipop is pictured

Sweet tooth: The US is the top consumer of sugar and fats, according to the infographic pictured left, and the average American’s diet is composed of 37 per cent of these ingredients, which are known to be bad for humans. In contrast, Vietnam and North Korea eat the least amount of sugars and fats, comprising just 10 per cent of their daily diet (right)

The US is also top consumer of sugar and fats, according to the infographic, making up almost 40 per cent of the average American's diet.

Sugar and sweeteners account for 16 per cent of their diet, while oils make up 19 per cent and oil and sugar crops two per cent. Their consumption has grown by eight per cent over 50 years and in 1961, arguably accounting for the rise in obesity in the nation.

The average Briton’s diet is made up of 25 per cent of these ingredients – five per cent higher than the global average. In contrast, Vietnam and North Korea eat the least amount of sugars and fats, comprising just 10 per cent of their daily diet.

North Koreans eat the most grain-heavy diet, comprising rice, wheat and other cereals, while Spanish people consume the least at 21 per cent.

Food on the grain: North Koreans eat the most grain-heavy diet at 63 per cent of their total food intake, (pictured left) comprising rice, wheat and other cereals, while Spanish people consume the least at 21 per cent (right)

Half a century ago, almost three quarters of North Korea’s calorific consumption was made up of grains. While this has dropped slightly to 63 per cent, the secretive country is still the world’s highest in terms of grain consumption as a proportion of the natural diet, with rice being the most important grain eaten.

South Koreans' diets have diversified and become richer since the 1960s but North Koreans have seen little progress in making their diets more interesting and nutritious.

Spain's Mediterranean-inspired diet consists of more grams of produce, milk and meat than it does grains. People have the lowest percentage of cereals in their diet shown in the selection of pie charts, at 21 per cent. This compares with the global average of 45 per cent.

Click on the chart above to explore the global average diet by calories and grams per person, as well as how it has changed over the past 50 years

Big drinkers: According to the chart, Germans are the heaviest drinkers (Oktoberfest is pictured) but Britons aren't far behind. Britons are the second keenest drinkers – tied with people living in Japan, Spain and Russia - with alcohol accounting for five per cent of food

Booze cruise: Germans are the biggest drinkers with alcohol making up 7 per cent of the daily diet (pictured left), according to the graph, while people living in many countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia consume no alcohol at all (right)

Moving on to drink, Germans are the biggest boozers, with alcohol making up seven per cent of the daily diet, according to the graph.

In contrast, the average person living in Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia consume absolutely no alcohol, because of the large Muslim populations.

Britons are the second heaviest drinkers – tied with people living in Japan, Spain and Russia - with alcohol accounting for five per cent of the daily diet.

The chart also shows that Indians eat the least meat, with just one per cent of the daily diet made up of meat. India's primarily vegetarian diet has changed very little, considering the country's population has more than doubled in the last 50 years.

Alongside the growth of the country's economy, the consumption of dairy, eggs and produce has increased more than two-fold.

However, people living in Hong Kong east the most, at 29 per cent. Hong Kong's diet has changed dramatically over the past half century, with the average person eating more grams of meat per day than any other food group. The average calorific consumption per person has also increased by 26 per cent, to 3,260 calories a day. 

Carnivores vs veggies: The chart also shows that  people living in Hong Kong east the most meat (29 per cent, pictured left) while Indians eat the least meat, with just one per cent of the daily diet made up of meat (right)

Vegetables can be tasty: India's primarily vegetarian diet has changed very little, considering the country's population has more than doubled in the last 50 years. A bowl of red lentil dhal is pictured